Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Thames Estuary Cockle Fishery Order 2024

Anna Firth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Thames Estuary Cockle Fishery Order 2024 will be laid before the House of Commons.

Mark Spencer: On 28 February 2024, Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority issued a month-long public consultation on the draft Thames Estuary Cockle Fishery Order 2024. The Order will be laid before Parliament in due course following consideration of the consultation responses.

Dairy Products and Meat: Consumption

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the potential impact of reducing meat and dairy consumption on the Government's Net Zero Strategy.

Mark Spencer: The Government’s preferred approach to supporting consumers to make sustainable food choices is to support sustainable food production practices and high-quality British produce, whilst maintaining people’s freedom of choice.The Government recognises the contribution to greenhouse gas emissions made by the livestock and dairy sectors, whilst valuing the importance of our farmers in feeding the nation and managing our rural environment. Well managed livestock provide environmental benefits such as supporting biodiversity, protecting the character of the countryside, and generating important income for rural communities.Government is focusing on productivity and innovation to help reduce agricultural emissions. The measures in the Net Zeo Growth plan aim to reduce emissions from agriculture in England through sustainable land management practices, the uptake of innovative practices and technologies, and actions to improve the productivity and profitability of the sector.Some of the policies and proposals which will help reduce emissions from livestock include, improved health and welfare of livestock, multi-purpose breeds, and increasing the uptake of methane suppressing feed products in cattle. Additionally, the Food Data Transparency Partnership’s work on health and environmental sustainability metrics for food will help enable healthier and more sustainable diets.

Food: Labelling

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve food labelling so that (a) consumers are effectively informed on which products have been produced (i) locally and (ii) in the UK and (b) local products are not undercut by external competition which is not produced to the same standard.

Mark Spencer: Country of origin information is required for fresh and frozen meat derived from beef cattle, sheep, goat, pigs and poultry, as well as uncut fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil, wine and some fish products. It is also required for all prepacked food where its omission would be misleading to consumers. In any case, where an indication of origin or provenance is given, either in words or pictures, this must be accurate. Buying food locally and supporting their local food economy is important to many consumers and where any label indicates that a food is produced locally, this must not be misleading to a consumer. As recently announced by the Secretary of State, we will soon be launching a consultation on clearer food labelling. This will explore how we can better highlight imports that do not meet UK welfare standards. The consultation will also seek evidence and views on how origin information could be improved for consumers.

Farming

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his polices of recent trends in levels of protests relating to farming.

Mark Spencer: British farming is at the heart of British trade. The Government continues to support British farmers, placing agriculture at the forefront of negotiations, prioritising new export opportunities, protecting UK food standards and removing market access barriers. The Government is committed to maintaining the £2.4 billion annual farming budget which will support farmers to produce food profitably and sustainably and are also looking at ways to further improve fairness in the supply chain and support British farmers and growers, as well as ensuring customers have access to high-quality fresh British products. In addition to this, the Government is committed to protecting nature and helping to meet our net zero ambitions.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Advertising

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding his Department (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on advertising in each of the last three financial years.

Mark Spencer: The attached table outlines how much spending has been budgeted for and spent on advertising by the department in each of the last three financial years. Like all areas of government spending, costs are reviewed regularly to ensure value for money.Attachment for PQ 16346 (pdf, 95.3KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Magazine Press

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding his Department (a) allocated for and (b) spent on magazine subscriptions in each of the last three financial years.

Mark Spencer: Budgets are not allocated to this level of detail. The annual Library budget allocation does not provide specific allocation to magazine subscription. The overall budget allocation covers magazines, (e-)books, print and online journals, document delivery, memberships, news coverage, analytical/economic tools and reference/full text databases.The allocated library budget and spend on magazines and journals over the last three years since 2021/22 is outlined below.Financial YearTotal Library budgetSpend on magazine and journals2021/22£780,000£487,281.542022/23£1,043,000£412,074.322023/24£1,247,000£538,098.20 Defra Library purchases magazines and journals for Defra, Animal and Plant Health Agency and Natural England staff to support them in their role.

Marine Environment: Carbon Emissions

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what protection beyond saltmarsh and seagrass is in place for blue carbon habitats; and whether he is taking steps to encourage private sector investment in (a) ocean-based regenerative farming and (b) other initiatives to support those ecosystems.

Rebecca Long Bailey: The Government recognises the important role that blue carbon habitats can play in climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. These richly biodiverse habitats also provide a crucial buffer from coastal flooding, benefit fish stocks and improve local water quality. The UK is a global leader in ocean protection and we have taken a number of steps to support blue carbon habitats. 40% of UK waters are in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) which cover the majority of our saltmarsh and seagrass habitats. Our focus is now on ensuring that these MPAs are effectively protected. The first three Highly Protected Marine Area designations in English waters recently came into force, two of which include further blue carbon habitats such as sub-littoral biogenic reefs and sub-littoral mud. The Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef initiative is working to restore native oyster reef, as well as seagrass meadows and saltmarsh. Working in partnership with environmental non-government organisations, industry, community groups and academia, the initiative aims to identify innovative funding opportunities, streamline regulatory processes, build capacity and share knowledge with partners to facilitate a larger programme of restoration. Defra has set up the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership in partnership with the Devolved Administrations to address evidence gaps that currently prevent the inclusion of blue carbon habitats in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI). Inclusion of these habitats in the GHGI will allow blue carbon to be marketed and traded as a carbon offset, leveraging private investment into these vital natural carbon stores.   Increased private sector investment into nature-based solutions will be crucial to protect 30% of the worlds ocean by 2030 and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Our Green Finance Strategy sets out how the Government will mobilise public and private financial flows to meet climate and environmental targets and our Nature Markets Framework sets out the Government’s aim to raise at least £500 million in private finance to support nature’s recovery every year by 2027 in England, rising to more than £1 billion per year by 2030.The UK is also leading the way in developing Marine Net Gain in English waters, which will require developers to leave the environment in a better state than before new development, targeting biodiversity decline while securing potential blue carbon benefits.

Drinking Water: Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to prevent the leaching of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances into supplies of drinking water.

Robbie Moore: There are already statutory duties on water companies and local authorities to carry out risk assessments and sample drinking water supplies for anything which would constitute a potential danger to human health. This includes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Drinking Water Inspectorate has a guideline value on individual types of PFAS of 100 nanograms per litre. It was set in 2021 based on an assessment of existing scientific knowledge and agreed with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to be a robust level with an appropriate margin to ensure our drinking water is safe to drink. There is no evidence of PFAS concentrations above this value in drinking water supplies. Nevertheless, work is continuing with other government departments, regulators and the devolved administrations to assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks to safeguard current high drinking water quality and ensure our regulations remain fit for purpose.

Air Pollution

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for Environmental Protection’s annual progress report published on 18 January 2024, what steps his Department is taking to (a) safeguard vulnerable groups from the impact of air pollution and (b) encourage long-term behaviour change to reduce polluting activity.

Robbie Moore: Through the Environment Act 2021 we introduced two new targets for fine particulate matter, the pollutant most damaging to human health, setting a maximum annual mean concentration target and a population exposure reduction target. This dual-target approach will improve public health for all by tackling the highest concentrations and ensuring all areas benefit from continuous improvement. Government recognises there is more to do to protect all people in our society and the environment from the effects of air pollution. This is why we are taking the significant and wide-ranging action to drive improvements to air quality as set out in our Environmental Improvement Plan 2023. Government is undertaking a comprehensive review of how we communicate air quality information to ensure members of the public, and vulnerable groups in particular, have what they need protect themselves and understand how their behaviour impacts on air quality. This review is being undertaken by the Air Quality Information Systems steering group with the aim of publishing the recommendations this summer.

Environment Protection: Investment

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Green Finance Strategy's target of raising £500m in private finance every year by 2027, how much private finance to support his Department's work has been raised in the 2023-24 financial year.

Rebecca Pow: As set out in ‘Mobilising Green Investment: 2023 Green Finance Strategy’, we are committed to monitoring annual private finance flows into nature’s recovery in England against our target. The Government has not produced an official annual estimate of private finance into nature’s recovery, as no reliable measures are yet in place. Defra is developing a methodology for tracking this private finance. We will publish our first annual estimate, using this methodology, once data is available.

Darwin Initiative: Antarctic

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what environmental projects have been funded through Darwin Plus in Antartica since 2019.

Rebecca Pow: Since 2019, Darwin Plus has funded 22 environmental projects of benefit to the Falkland Islands. These are listed in the table below. Please visit the Darwin Plus website at https://darwinplus.org.uk/ for full details of funded projects. Project referenceProject titleUK Overseas Territories involvedDPLUS146Red Listing can protect OT marine biodiversityBritish Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS110Recognise, protect, restore: driving sound stewardship of Falklands peat wetlandsFalkland IslandsDPLUS115Unlocking Falkland Islands Marine Management: Key Biodiversity Areas for seabirdsFalkland IslandsDPLUS116Falklands wetlands and aquatic habitats: baselines for monitoring future changeFalkland IslandsDPLUS126Advancing Falklands and region-scale management of globally important whale populationsFalkland IslandsDPLUS139Improving Falklands marine management effectiveness for marine higher predatorsFalkland IslandsDPLUS148Climate change resilience in Falkland Islands fisheries and marine ecosystemsFalkland IslandsDPLUS167Pathogens as a threat to seabirds in the Falkland IslandsFalkland IslandsDPLUS168Understanding increased FI seal bycatch to inform bycatch Action PlanFalkland IslandsDPLUS169New Island: completing preparatory steps for restoration against invasive mammalsFalkland IslandsDPLUS182Habitat restoration and species re-introductions on four Falklands island reservesFalkland IslandsDPL00047Increasing environmental monitoring capacity on FI: a Thermal Imaging UAVFalkland IslandsDPL00058Fire Contingency Planning for Offshore IslandsFalkland IslandsCV19RR02Establishing wildlife health and disease monitoring in the Falkland IslandsFalkland IslandsDPL00002Restoring native tussac grassland habitatFalkland IslandsDPL00006Restoring peat soils and tussac grass habitat in the FalklandsFalkland IslandsDPL00020Data driven solutions to land management and climate change adaptationFalkland IslandsDPL00025Building farm biodiversity planning and monitoring capacity for sustainable managementFalkland IslandsDPLUS092Seabird sentinels: mapping potential bycatch risk using bird-borne radarFalkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS094Developing Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) tools for Turks and CaicosFalkland Islands, Turks and Caicos IslandsDPLUS175Enhancing monitoring and prevention of invasive non-native species across UKOTsGibraltar, Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (on Cyprus), South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Bermuda, Anguilla, Cayman Islands, Falkland IslandsDPLUS174A cross-UKOT camera network to enhance marine predator conservationMontserrat, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

Air Pollution

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for Environmental Protection’s annual progress report published 18th January 2024, if he will bring the ambient air quality standards in the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.

Robbie Moore: The World Health Organisation Air Quality Guidelines are intended to inform the setting of air quality standards and are not ready-made targets for adoption. We will continue to keep our targets under review and consider in line with the best available evidence, specific to our national circumstances.

Sewage: South Holland and the Deepings

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many storm overflow discharges there have been in South Holland and The Deepings constituency in the last five years.

Robbie Moore: This Government has significantly driven up monitoring and transparency of water companies in recent years. The number of storm overflows monitored across the English network has increased from 7% in 2010 to 100% now monitored. To improve transparency this data is now publicly available on the Government website (Event Duration Monitoring - Storm Overflows - Annual Returns - data.gov.uk). This shows the following discharges records for South Holland the Deepings: In 2019, 61 discharges were recorded, all from 1 asset.In 2020, 52 discharges were recorded, all from 1 asset.In 2021, 267 discharges were recorded, from 7 different assets.In 2022, 187 discharges were recorded, from 7 different assets. The difference in the figures is due to the increase in the number of assets being monitored. 2023 data will be available in March this year.

Food: Waste

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish a revised response to the consultation on Improved food waste reporting by large food businesses.

Robbie Moore: The Government consulted on improved food waste reporting by large businesses in England and published a response in July 2023. The new Secretary of State has however decided to look again at how best to secure the benefits of food waste reporting, including mandatory measures for large businesses. We now intend to gather further evidence and re-consider all the options using the latest available data in order to retake the decision later this year.

Fluorinated Gases

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) training and (b) certification of technicians in the use of alternative products during the planned transition away from fluorinated gases.

Robbie Moore: There are industry-led training courses already available on the use of alternative refrigerant gases. As noted in the Defra assessment report of December 2022 on the impact of the current Regulation on fluorinated gases, some industry stakeholders have suggested that mandatory training should be introduced for alternatives with flammability, toxicity and high-pressure properties. We are reviewing the provisions of the Regulation and intend to consult on proposals for change in due course.

Air Pollution

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to reduce the levels of (a) nitrogen dioxide and (b) particulate matter in air.

Robbie Moore: The nitrogen dioxide (NO2) programme has allocated £883m to support local authorities to address NO2 exceedances. This funding has supported measures including vehicle upgrade and scrappage schemes, improved traffic management, and better cycling infrastructure. New PM2.5 targets were recently set as part of the Environment Act. These targets focus on reducing PM2.5 where concentrations are highest as well as ensuring population exposure is reduced across the country. Meeting these targets will require action across a range of sectors and has included legislation to restrict the sale of wet wood, coal and high sulphur manufactured solid fuels for use in domestic premises. Since January 2022 all stoves placed on the market in the United Kingdom must be Ecodesign compliant. These requirements have been accompanied by an ongoing communication campaign aimed at raising awareness and educating people on the risks of burning solid fuels, encouraging those that need to burn to do so as cleanly and efficiently as possible.

Air Pollution

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment has he made of the effectiveness of the steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authorities reach legally-compliant standards in air quality.

Robbie Moore: Under the 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Concentrations, Government assesses whether local authorities in the NO2 Programme have successfully delivered a reduction in NO2 concentrations. The programme’s evaluation also helps understand the effectiveness and impacts of Local NO2 Plan measures. In addition, the Secretary of State is required to lay a statement before Parliament each year, under section 80A of the Environment Act 1995, setting out an assessment of the progress made in meeting our wider air quality standards and objectives as well as the steps taken in support of meeting those standards and objectives. The last Written Ministerial Statement to this effect was laid in Parliament on 13 July 2023. In accordance with this requirement, the Secretary of State will provide a further update to the House on our progress as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of the financial year in 2024.

Air Pollution

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to provide additional support to local authorities to reduce air pollution in areas which breach air quality standards.

Robbie Moore: As recognised in our Environmental Improvement Plan, local authorities have a central role in improving air quality. The Air Quality Strategy, published last year, supports councils in their role by providing a comprehensive framework for local action. Defra also supports local authorities in England to reduce air pollution through events, resources and knowledge sharing, including the 2023 Local Air Quality Symposium. Alongside this, we run an annual Air Quality Grant Scheme. Through this grant, approximately £52 million has been awarded to nearly 500 local authority projects since 2010. This year the scheme will award over £6 million to improve air quality in local communities.

Plastics: Waste Disposal

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to tackle levels of plastic waste; and whether he plans to take steps to help reduce the amount of waste that is shipped abroad for disposal.

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to contribute towards the target in the Global Plastics Treaty of a 75% reduction in virgin plastic production and single-use plastics by 2040.

Robbie Moore: The UK is a leading voice in tackling plastic pollution and were proud to co-sponsor the proposal to prepare a new international, legally binding plastics treaty. Negotiations have not yet concluded; however, the UK are committed to securing an ambitious agreement by the end of 2024 and have called for the treaty to include measures that restrain and reduce the production and consumption of plastic to sustainable levels. We have banned the use of microbeads in rinse-off personal care products. Our single-use plastic carrier bag charge, now 10p, has reduced the number of such bags given out by the main supermarkets by over 98%. We brought in measures to restrict the supply of single-use plastic straws and single-use plastic stemmed cotton buds and ban the supply of plastic drink stirrers in 2020. And in October 2023, we banned the supply of single-use plastic plates, bowls, and trays to the end-user and banned the supply of single-use plastic cutlery and single-use plastic balloon sticks and expanded and foamed extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers, including cups. In April 2022, we brought in the Plastic Packaging Tax, a tax of £200 per tonne on plastic packaging manufactured in, or imported into the UK, that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. From April 2023, it has increased in line with inflation to £210.82/tonne. Under the UK Plan for Shipments of Waste, it is generally prohibited to export waste for disposal, subject to some exceptions within that plan' UK plan for shipments of waste (publishing.service.gov.uk). Businesses involved in the export of waste are required by law to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling. Individuals and businesses found to be exporting waste in contravention of these requirements can face a two-year jail term and an unlimited fine. In addition, the Government has committed to banning the export of plastic waste to countries which are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and we plan to consult this year on the date by which this should be achieved.

Darwin Initiative: Falkland Islands

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what environmental projects have been funded through Darwin Plus in the Falkland Islands since 2019.

Rebecca Pow: Since 2019, Darwin Plus has funded 6 environmental projects of benefit to the British Antarctic Territory. These are listed in the table below. Please visit the Darwin Plus website at https://darwinplus.org.uk/ for full details of funded projects. Project referenceProject titleUK Overseas Territories involvedDPLUS185Safeguarding Antarctic krill stocks for baleen whalesBritish Antarctic TerritoryDPL00008Biodiversity Survey and Environmental Management Plan in AntarcticaBritish Antarctic Territory (BAT)DPLUS146Red Listing can protect OT marine biodiversityBritish Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS166Improving identification of fish bycatch in the Antarctic krill fisheryBritish Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsDPLUS175Enhancing monitoring and prevention of invasive non-native species across UKOTsGibraltar, Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (on Cyprus), South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Bermuda, Anguilla, Cayman Islands, Falkland IslandsDPLUS174A cross-UKOT camera network to enhance marine predator conservationMontserrat, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

Litter

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle litter.

Robbie Moore: Our Litter Strategy for England sets out our aim to deliver a substantial reduction in litter and littering within a generation. The strategy contains a number of commitments, many of which have been completed or are nearing completion. Progress reports on delivering the Litter Strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/litter-strategy-for-england-progress-reports. The Prime Minister’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan set out how we will support council’s to take tougher action against those that litter. For example, last July we significantly raised the upper limit on fixed penalty notices from £150 to £500. The Chewing Gum Task Force, established by Defra and funded by producers, has provided almost £2.5 million in grants since 2022 to help nearly 100 councils remove gum stains from high streets and invest in long-term behaviour change to prevent gum being dropped in the first place. The Task Force has just launched another grant scheme for councils this year. Further information can be be found at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/local-authorities/reduce-litter/gum-litter/chewing-gum-task-force. National Highways has developed a new campaign that aims to educate and change road users’ behaviour towards littering. The campaign will run from 12 February to 10 March and road users will be implored to stop littering as its deadly impact on wildlife is revealed. In January this year, we announced our plans to ban disposable vapes in the UK. This will help to tackle a huge and growing stream of hard-to-recycle waste and litter, with nearly 5 million thrown away every week.

Plastics: Packaging

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of how many single-use plastic products were disposed of in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in the last three years; and what support his Department plans to provide to businesses to encourage the production of more sustainable packaging products.

Robbie Moore: We have made no assessment of single-use plastic product disposal in those areas in the last three years. The Government is determined to transform the way we collect, recycle, and reuse our waste materials so we eliminate all avoidable waste by 2050. This is why we are introducing Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) to make producers responsible for the costs of collecting and managing the packaging they produce. pEPR will encourage producers to reduce the use of unnecessary packaging and use more recyclable and reusable materials in packaging. Furthermore, through UK Research and Innovation, we have provided over £190 million to over 280 projects in the last 5 years, for research to help us reduce plastic waste and increase the sustainability of the plastic packaging we use.

Water: Sewage

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the polluter pays principle is upheld on sewage releases.

Robbie Moore: The Government is clear that water companies must not profit from environmental damage and that those responsible for pollution must pay. On 12 February, we announced that Ofwat will be consulting on banning water bosses from receiving bonuses if a company has committed a serious criminal breach. This builds on Ofwat’s announcements last year to tighten restrictions on bonuses and dividends so that consumer bills never reward pollution. We have also legislated to introduce unlimited penalties on water companies who breach their environmental permits and expand the range of offences to which penalties can be applied, giving the Environment Agency the tools, they need to hold water companies to account. Fines and penalties will be reinvested into cleaning our rivers through the establishment of a Water Restoration Fund (WRF), as outlined in the Plan for Water. Further information on the WRF will be provided in due course.

Rivers: Sewage

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how river water quality is tested for sewage releases.

Robbie Moore: Monitoring data provides the Environment Agency (EA) with information for different needs and uses, including environmental health surveillance, effective regulation and incident management. Various monitoring programmes fulfil these information needs. The EA‘s monitoring collects and makes available essential measurements on water quality (chemistry and physico-chemistry), ecology (including fish, invertebrates, plants and algae), all of which can be impacted by sewage. Where there is a serious incident involving the release of untreated sewage, which could have a significant impact on the environment, the EA may collect samples to determine the level of impact, and in some cases for the provision of evidence in formal investigations. To aid further monitoring, the government has brought forward new measures under the Environment Act 2021 to require sewerage undertakers to monitor sewerage assets and the impact they have on the local environment. This data will allow water companies to better target their investments in infrastructure and allow regulators to monitor how successful these improvements are.

Water: Sewage

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) take steps to set targets for water companies to end sewage releases and (b) ensure that water companies invest in infrastructure.

Robbie Moore: The Government is clear that the amount of sewage currently being discharged into our waters is unacceptable. Through the government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce the use of storm overflows, driving the largest infrastructure programme in water company history of £60 billion over 25 years. This Plan prioritises early action at sensitive sites, so that by 2035, water companies will have: improved all storm overflows discharging near every designated bathing water; and improved 75% of storm overflows discharging into or near high priority sites such as SSSIs. Water company investment in environmental improvements has been scaled up to £7.1 billion over the period 2020 – 25. This includes £3.1 billion invested in storm overflow improvements specifically. Furthermore, we expect water companies to use the next five-year Price Review period (2025-2030) to set bold and ambitious plans that deliver for people and the environment.

Sewage: Rivers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to neutralise sewage in rivers.

Robbie Moore: Through the Government's expanded Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, published in September 2023, we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce their use of storm overflows. The Plan requires that water companies must significantly reduce harmful pathogens from storm overflows discharging near designated bathing waters, by either: applying disinfection; or reducing the frequency of discharges to meet Environment Agency spill standards by 2035. It also sets out that water companies will only be permitted to discharge from a storm overflow where they can demonstrate that there is no local adverse ecological impact. This target must be achieved for all storm overflows in England by 2050. Furthermore, new provisions in the Water Industry Act, inserted by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, will address pollution at source by placing a new statutory duty on water companies in designated catchments to upgrade wastewater treatment works by 2030, reducing the impact of sewage on our waterways and the people who use them.

Sewers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects sewage release levels to be reduced.

Robbie Moore: Through the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP) we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce the use of storm overflows, driving the largest infrastructure programme in water company history of £60 billion over 25 years. These stringent targets will prevent hundreds of thousands of storm overflow discharges every year. An indicative trajectory of spill reductions can be found on page 19 of the government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan which is publicly available on the government website (Storm overflows discharge reduction plan - GOV.UK ).

Reservoirs

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to increase reservoir storage capacity.

Robbie Moore: Defra published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply in England. The Plan sets out our commitment to a twin track approach to improving water supply resilience, with action to reduce water company leaks alongside investing in new supply infrastructure. Last year, regional water resources groups and water companies, consulted on their draft water resources plans. These statutory plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years. The draft water resources management plans contain proposals for multiple new water resources schemes by 2050, including nine new reservoirs. Water companies are also using the £469 million made available by Ofwat in the current Price Review period (2020-2025) to investigate strategic water resources options, that are required to improve the resilience of England’s water supplies.  In addition, Ofwat recently announced that water companies are bringing forward £2.2 billion for new water infrastructure delivery, over the next two years, with £350 million worth of investment in water resilience schemes. The Government also supports the Agricultural sector with its Water Management Grant, under the Farming Transformation Fund, for the construction of new on-farm reservoirs, helping to ensure farmers have access to water when they need it most.

Inland Waterways: Pollution

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of inland waterways that are contaminated by expired mine workings.

Robbie Moore: In 2021, the Environment Agency estimated that contaminated groundwater discharged from abandoned metal and coal mines was polluting more than 1,500km (3%) of rivers in England (see Mine waters: challenges for the water environment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)). In 2023, Defra’s Environmental Improvement Plan outlined the Environment Act target to halve the length of rivers and estuaries polluted by cadmium, lead, nickel, zinc, copper and/or arsenic from abandoned metal mines by 2038, against an estimated baseline of around 1,500km. This baseline length of rivers and estuaries polluted by abandoned metal mines will be updated later in 2024.

Food: Waste

Jo Gideon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to estimate the potential (a) costs and (b) profits on large businesses of proposals to introduce mandatory food waste reporting.

Robbie Moore: We are gathering further evidence using the latest available data in order to retake the decision later this year.

Sewage: Pollution

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the number of homes affected by sewage rising into (a) gardens, (b) toilets and (c) sinks after heavy rains.

Robbie Moore: Discover Water, a water company performance data website which brings robust already-available company data from a range of sources together includes detail on sewer flooding incidents. In 2022-23; 47,176 areas of private land or gardens were flooded by sewage and 4,794 properties were internally flooded by sewage. Sewer flooding may occur for a number of reasons, including a failure of the sewerage system; blockages; or when the sewerage system is overwhelmed when too much rainwater enters the sewers from surrounding roads, houses and land. Storm overflows stop sewage backing up into homes by releasing wastewater when the system is overwhelmed during periods of heavy rain. A growing population and ageing infrastructure, means these storm overflows are being pushed beyond their intended limits and that needs to change. As part of our Plan for Water, water companies are delivering the largest infrastructure programme in history - £60 billion of investment over 25 years. We continue to hold water companies to account and will not hesitate to act where there is evidence of wrongdoing. Government recognises the importance of having a robust drainage system both now and for future demand. As per commitments in the Environmental Improvement Plan and the Plan for Water, Defra will legislate to require water companies in England to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). DWMPs set out how a water company intends to improve their drainage and wastewater systems over the next 25 years, accounting for factors including growing population and changing environmental circumstances. When producing DWMPs, water companies will be required to identify solutions in collaboration with other partners such as lead local flood authorities (LLFAs) and other flood risk management authorities. Flooding from heavy rain and thunderstorms is known as surface water flooding. In England 3.4 million properties are at risk of such flooding. The responsibility for managing local flood risk, including from surface water, falls to LLFAs, in partnership with highways authorities and water companies. LLFAs are required to identify and agree local objectives for managing these local flood risks and to set them out in their statutory Local Flood Risk Management Strategy.

Water Companies: Bankruptcy

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Ofwat about water companies at risk of bankruptcy.

Robbie Moore: The Government and Ofwat take the financial resilience of the water sector very seriously. Ofwat continues to monitor the financial position of all water and wastewater companies. It sets out its assessment of the financial resilience of each company in its annual Monitoring Financial Resilience report. The Government is prepared for a range of scenarios across our regulated industries - including water - as any responsible government would be.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Balochistan: Human Rights

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Balochistan in the context of law enforcement actions against the Baloch Long March protestors.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK is concerned about reports of human rights abuses in Pakistan, including in Balochistan. We strongly condemn any instances of extrajudicial killings or enforced disappearances. The former Foreign Secretary met with Pakistan's Caretaker Prime Minister on 25 September to discuss human rights. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, raised the issue of enforced disappearances with the then Minister for Human Rights in June 2022. On the 20 February, Minister Trevelyan attended a Westminster Hall Debate on Human Rights in Balochistan. The UK will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people as laid down in Pakistan's Constitution and in accordance with international standards.

Palestinians: Textbooks

Greg Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Palestinian counterpart on the content of Palestinian Authority textbooks.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We regularly discuss issues relating to the curriculum and textbooks with counterparts including in the Palestinian Authority (PA). The UK-supported 2021 review of the Palestinian Authority (PA) curriculum found improvements in content, with previously flagged materials removed. We need to see further curriculum reform from the PA, and we continue to raise this with them regularly.

Palestinians: Visas

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with international counterparts on a Palestinian visa scheme to support the health needs of civilians.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Government's priority is to support healthcare provision within Gaza, where medical needs are greatest. We are focussed on practical solutions that save lives. On 21 February the UK and Jordan delivered 4 tonnes of aid by air to Tal Al-Hawa Hospital in northern Gaza.The UK is also providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the World Health organisation, the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation and Egyptian Red Crescent Society to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.

Argentina: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans to meet the President of Argentina within the next six weeks.

David Rutley: The Foreign Secretary met President Milei at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, and spoke to Milei in November 2023. I [Minister Rutley] met Milei at his inauguration. The Foreign Secretary also met with Foreign Minister Mondino at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Brazil in February. Statements from these meetings are available on gov.uk. Future ministerial meetings will be announced in the usual way.

Israel: Arms Trade

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will respond to the open letter from civil society groups entitled UK Government’s Refusal to Suspend Arms Transfers to Israel, published on 28 February 2024.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Government operates a robust and thorough assessment of licence applications against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria and we will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with that Criteria including where there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law.We are monitoring the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories very closely. All our export licences are kept under careful review, and we are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences, as well as refuse new licence applications, if they are found to be inconsistent with the Criteria.

Palestinians: Visas

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps to help ensure that Palestinians who are entitled to come to the UK on a visa are able to leave Gaza to acquire the necessary documentation in the event of a pause in fighting.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We have been facilitating British citizens and their foreign national dependents (spouse, unmarried/civil partner, child under 18) to come to the UK, provided they have valid travel documents and hold a minimum of 6 months right to remain on their UK visa or are non-visa nationals. We have helped 315 British nationals, their dependants and relevant visa holders to leave Gaza so far. We are working with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities to support any remaining eligible people still in Gaza. Individuals who do not meet these criteria should apply for a visa to enable them to enter the UK in the normal way.

Gaza: Weapons

Tom Randall: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports of weapons being found in schools in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are aware of reports of Hamas using schools and other infrastructure for their operations. We are strongly condemn Hamas' ongoing use of civilian areas. By embedding themselves in the civilian population and civilian infrastructure, Hamas is putting Palestinian civilians at grave risk. We have been clear that for a lasting peace, removing Hamas' capacity to continue launching attacks against Israel and ensuring Hamas is no longer in charge of Gaza are both vital steps.However, we also remain deeply concerned about the impact of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations on the civilian population in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza. We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.

Gaza: Weapons

Greg Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the recent report from the Israel Defence Force's Colonel Elad Shushan on the presence of weapons at civilian sites.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are aware of reports of Hamas using schools and other infrastructure for their operations. We are strongly condemn Hamas' ongoing use of civilian areas. By embedding themselves in the civilian population and civilian infrastructure, Hamas is putting Palestinian civilians at grave risk. We have been clear that for a lasting peace, removing Hamas' capacity to continue launching attacks against Israel and ensuring Hamas is no longer in charge of Gaza are both vital steps.However, we also remain deeply concerned about the impact of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations on the civilian population in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza. We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.

China: Clergy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of Chinese Communist Party re-education classes for Catholic priests in the Inner Mongolia region.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government continues to monitor the persecution of religious groups in China, including Christians. The freedom to practice, change or share one's faith or belief without discrimination is a human right that all people should enjoy.The space for religious freedom in China continues to deteriorate. For example, recent new Measures on the Administration of Religious Activity Venues legislation includes widespread restrictions on religious practice such as requirements for priests to conduct sermons promoting core socialist values and Xi Jinping Thought.The British government works with international organisations and networks to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief for all where it is threatened. This includes work through the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.

Shipping: Freight

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of steps being taken to ensure that vessels transiting Scottish and UK territorial waters are not carrying sanctioned cargo.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: In delivering maritime security in the UK Marine Area, the UK operates a layered approach to coastal and maritime defence, including onshore resources and surveillance capabilities, to detect those seeking to smuggle illicit goods or to facilitate illegal entry into the UK. Through the Economic Deterrence Initiative, the Government is investing in the maritime intelligence capability of the Joint Maritime Security Centre to enhance sanctions enforcement. For vessels transiting through UK waters, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) details the right of innocent passage and freedom of navigation. The UK remains fully committed to upholding UNCLOS.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Rwanda

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what representations he has made to his Rwandan counterpart on the M23 rebel group operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo border region.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We regularly raise the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the governments of DRC and Rwanda. We continue to urge all parties to deliver on their commitments, agreed through the Nairobi and Luanda regional peace processes. I [Minister Mitchell] raised this with President Kagame and Foreign Minister Biruta during my visit to Rwanda in late August, and we continue to engage on this issue via our High Commission. The UK Special Envoy to the Great Lakes recently participated in a UN-led trip to the region alongside French and US counterparts, to encourage de-escalation and a return to regional peace processes over military solutions.

Albania: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the house arrest of the leader of the Democratic Party of Albania.

Leo Docherty: Sali Berisha, whose position as Chair of the Democratic Party is contested within the party, was charged with corruption by Albania's Special Prosecutor's Office in October 2023 and currently is under house arrest. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the legal process is underway.

Albania: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has met the Ambassador of the Republic of Albania in the last six months.

Leo Docherty: I [Minister for Europe] met Albania's new Ambassador to the UK, Dr Uran Ferizi, on Monday 26 February.

Albania: Politics and Government

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what support his Department is providing to the Armenian government to bolster democracy in that country.

Leo Docherty: The United Kingdom strongly supports democracy in Armenia. I [Minister Docherty] discussed domestic reforms with Armenia's Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, during my visit to the South Caucasus in November last year. We provide Armenia support through The Good Governance Fund (GGF), including up to £2.3 million this year for programmes that are focused on strengthening and promoting inclusive governance, economic growth and supporting safeguards of democracy in Armenia.

Department for Business and Trade

Horizon IT System

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what weighting the Post Office Horizon compensation scheme gives to individual sub-postmaster’s (a) mental health, (b) physical health and (c) family circumstances when calculating compensation offers.

Kevin Hollinrake: Across the compensation schemes, cases are assessed individually on their facts in accordance with established legal principles. On the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) and GLO scheme, postmasters can claim for any losses they have experienced as a result of Horizon shortfalls. Similarly, postmasters with overturned convictions can claim for any loss they have suffered as a result of their conviction. These losses can include the impact on their mental or physical health.Where family members have also been affected, the joint losses are also recoverable under the various Horizon-related compensation schemes.

Multinational Companies: Environment Protection

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help ensure that British multinationals operate to domestic environmental standards when operating overseas.

Greg Hands: All British multinationals must comply with relevant British and international law as applicable to their location and operation. The Government is committed to the implementation of the revised OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct, which includes recommendations to multinational enterprises on the environment.

Business: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to help support the good business charter accreditation scheme.

Kevin Hollinrake: I recognise the work that organisations like Good Business Charter do. It is important that the drive to get businesses paying on time, paying its staff the living wage, and making businesses more sustainable doesn’t just come from the Government. I am keen that organisations like the Office of the Small Business Commissioner work with the Good Business Charter to help tackle late payments and help our Small Businesses grow.

Department of Health and Social Care

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Diagnosis

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to ensure that the SNOMED CT classification system used by GPs in primary care is (a) adequate and (b) used consistently for diagnosing myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Andrew Stephenson: The Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine - Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) is the structured clinical vocabulary for use in an electronic health record. It is a contractual requirement for all National Health Service healthcare providers in England to use SNOMED CT for capturing clinical terms, including diagnoses, within electronic patient record systems.Within SNOMED CT, all content for myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome is contained within a single overarching code, with linked codes for mild, moderate, and severe forms. These can be used by all NHS healthcare providers, including general practitioners.Updates to the United Kingdom’s edition of SNOMED CT are made by NHS England, with any user being able to submit requests for new or changed concepts and codes, via a central portal.

Lung Cancer

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to work with (a) the NHS and (b) other stakeholders to help improve the prognoses of people living with metastasized lung cancer.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department and NHS England meet regularly to discuss a wide range of issues regarding cancer. The Department's ministers and officials also frequently meet with key stakeholders within the cancer community. The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership commissions, develops, and manages the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme, on behalf of NHS England, Wales, and other devolved administrations. The programme includes 10 funded cancer audits, including in lung cancer, which were established in 2004. The audit aims to improve standards across the National Health Service for patients with lung cancer. The NHS Long Term Plan states that, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support. This is being delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support. Every patient with cancer is getting a full assessment of their needs, an individual care plan, and information and support for their wider health and wellbeing.

Lung Cancer: Medical Treatments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to support (a) research into and (b) treatment of lung cancer caused by mutations in the TP53, EGFR, and KRAS genes.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department invests over £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Since 2018/19 the NIHR has invested more than £44 million in funding and support for lung cancer research.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including lung cancer caused by genetic mutations. As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. The level of research spend in a particular area is driven by factors including scientific potential, and the number and scale of successful funding applications.The NIHR also supports the delivery, in the health and care system, of lung cancer research funded by research funding partners in the charity and public sectors. Since 2018/19 the NIHR Clinical Research Network has supported over 400 lung cancer research studies.The Government is working jointly with NHS England on implementing the delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlogs in elective care and plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity, including cancer diagnosis and treatment activity, including for all lung cancers. The focus on improving cancer treatment includes supporting advances in radiotherapy using cutting-edge imaging and technology to help target radiation doses at cancer cells more precisely.The Department is supporting the National Health Service to roll out innovative lung cancer treatments, offered through the Cancer Drugs Fund and approved by the National Institute of Care and Excellence. Sotorasib was made available from March 2022 to target the kirsten rat sarcoma virus genetic mutation. Mobocertinib has been made available as treatment options for patients with the epidermal growth factor receptor gene mutation.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Long Covid

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research the National Institute for Health and Care Research is undertaking on the potential link between Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and long covid.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government has invested more than £50 million into 22 research projects for long COVID, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation. In the last five years, the NIHR has allocated approximately £3.44 million to support nine research projects on myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome. The NIHR is also co-funding, with the Medical Research Council, a £3.2 million study called DecodeME, which is the world’s largest genetic study of the disease. The Department commissions research through the NIHR. It is not currently specifically funding research on potential links between ME and long COVID, but it welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health.

Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates: Regulation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the regulation of Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates by the General Medical Council on the average (a) cost and (b) waiting times for cases to be (i) investigated and (ii) concluded under processes administered by that body.

Andrew Stephenson: The General Medical Council (GMC), as an independent organisation, will be responsible for the regulation of Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) and Physician Associates (PAs).The GMC has confirmed that it will put resources in place to deal swiftly and fairly with future complaints and concerns about AAs and PAs, without impacting on service delivery for doctors. The cost of fitness to practise processes for AAs and PAs will depend on case volumes, which are currently unknown. These costs will be met from registration fees paid by AAs and PAs, supported by transitional funding from the Department.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to fund research to (a) tackle the causes of and (b) treat Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including on the causes and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).In the last five years, the NIHR has allocated approximately £3.44 million to support nine research projects on ME and chronic fatigue syndrome. The NIHR is also co-funding, with the Medical Research Council, a £3.2 million study called DecodeME, which is the world’s largest genetic study of the disease.

Cancer: Diagnosis

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to work with (a) the NHS and (b) other stakeholders to increase earlier cancer diagnoses.

Andrew Stephenson: Improving early diagnosis of cancer remains a priority for NHS England and the Government. NHS England is working towards the NHS Long Term Plan’s ambition of diagnosing 75% of stageable cancers at stage one and two by 2028. The latest published data shows this was 54% between January to December 2021. Achieving this ambition will mean that, from 2028, 55,000 more people each year will survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis.  Ministers and officials from the Department regularly meet with NHS England and other stakeholders, to discuss progress towards the ambition.NHS England’s comprehensive Early Diagnosis strategy is based on six core strands of activity, from raising awareness of cancer symptoms and encouraging people to come forward, to implementing targeted interventions for particular cancer types that we know have previously experienced later stages of diagnosis.

Ophthalmic Services

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure that appropriately-qualified optometrists are able to access NHS prescription forms to help reduce the onward referral of patients with eye health conditions.

Andrea Leadsom: When commissioning community enhanced eye care services, we would expect integrated care boards to consider the need to give appropriately qualified optometrists access to National Health Service prescription forms.

Ophthalmic Services

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 19 June 2023 to Question 188964 on Ophthalmic Services, what recent progress her Department has made on developing standard service specifications for enhanced eye care services.

Andrea Leadsom: The new standard of clinical specification for community eye care services, both minor and urgent, was published by the Local Optical Committee Support Unit on 23 February 2024. The specification will help local commissioners in getting the best outcomes, if they choose to commission these services as part of their local eye care provision. The specification is available at the following link:https://locsu.co.uk/what-we-do/pathways/community-minor-and-urgent-eye-care-clinical-specification/

Laboratories: Disease Control

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Audit Office's value for money investigation into the UKHSA’s health security campus programme, published on 28 February 2024, what recent progress her Department has made on the UK Health Security Agency’s health security campus programme in Harlow; what her plans are for the programme; and for what reason the (a) cost estimate and (b) proposed timeline for the programme has been revised.

Maria Caulfield: The Department and UK Health Security Agency are currently considering the plans for developing a health security campus in Harlow, and the alternatives for developing laboratory facilities at Porton Down. This acknowledges the post-pandemic landscape and reflects continuing annual investment in lab infrastructure. In addition, further assessments of scope, investment costs, lifecycle costs, and delivery risks are being conducted to assure plans for the programme.As set out in the National Audit Office’s report, the cost estimate for the programme has increased for many reasons, including prolongation, inflation, additional VAT, delays caused by organisational change and the pandemic, as well as essential design changes due to regulatory and technological change.Detailed design evaluations with construction partners resulted in a reset and extension of the schedule in 2020. Since then, cycles of strategic review, high level investment appraisal, organisational change, and learning from the pandemic have led to further delays to the schedule.

Dstl: Health and Safety

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to enforcement notice 310819694 served against the UK Health Security Agency on 31 July 2020 by the Health and Safety Executive, what steps she is taking to ensure that laboratories at Porton Down continue to comply with relevant safety requirements.

Maria Caulfield: In July 2020 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued a Crown Improvement Notice in relation to the information, instruction, and training for the handling and restraint of animals infected with hazardous biological agents. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) complied with this notice to the satisfaction of the HSE, by their deadline of November 2020. The UKHSA has built upon this through a dedicated human factors specialist in its corporate health and safety function, and a compliance team within the Science Group.The UKHSA Porton Down high security laboratories meet current HSE guidance. This is tested on a regular basis by site evidence-based inspections, conducted by the HSE.

Dstl

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the current condition of the high-security laboratories at Porton Down is.

Maria Caulfield: All of the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) high security laboratories at Porton Down, including the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens’ (ACDP) Containment Level 4 facility, are operational and compliant with all health, safety, and security requirements. The Health and Safety Executive conducts annual inspections of the ACDP Containment Level 4 facilities, and a recent assessment by the UKHSA has also confirmed that with proper maintenance, the high containment facilities can remain operational for at least another decade until they are replaced.

UK Health Security Agency

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by the National Audit Office entitled Investigation into the UKHSA’s health security campus programme, published on 28 February 2024, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the UK Health Security Agency has adequate capabilities for (a) identifying, (b) studying and (c) responding to dangerous pathogens.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) scientific expertise and facilities are maintained to ensure it has sufficient capacity and capability to identify, study, and respond to outbreaks of dangerous pathogens. The Department continues to actively consider options for investment, to modernise and enhance the UKHSA’s capabilities.

Mental Health Services: Death

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department issues guidance to mental health providers on steps to be taken to secure an independent inquiry in the event that a patient dies while under their care.

Maria Caulfield: Statutory and non-statutory independent inquiries are established by ministers. In the National Health Service, from 1 April 2024, it will be a contractual requirement under the NHS Standard Contract for providers, including mental health providers, to implement the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework. The framework aims to reduce the need to commission independent patient safety incident investigations and public inquiries by promoting local investigations that are more open, inclusive, and effective. This framework responds to patient safety incidents by ensuring resources allocated to investigating and learning are balanced with those needed to deliver improvement.

Mental Health Services: Safety

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS trusts apply the national sexual safety collaborative.

Maria Caulfield: We are informed by NHS England that the application of the safety standards from the national Sexual Safety Collaborative, is decided upon and monitored locally.

Laboratories: Disease Control

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to (a) replace and (b) modernise the laboratories at Porton Down.

Maria Caulfield: The Government is actively considering its options for investment to replace and modernise the UK Health Security Agency’s laboratories, including those at Porton Down, to ensure the best public health outcomes and value for money.

Vaccination: Procurement

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 5.1.2 of the NHS Vaccination Strategy, last updated on 4 January, 2024, which Integrated Care Systems have been identified as demonstrator systems to test (a) new models of vaccine delivery and (b) innovative commissioning models.

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps each demonstrator system is taking to help deliver the NHS Vaccination Strategy.

Maria Caulfield: Regional National Health Service teams are working with several integrated care boards to explore how they are planning to implement different aspects of the NHS Vaccination Strategy. These demonstrator systems are:- Suffolk and North East Essex;- North West London;- South West London;- Birmingham and Solihull;- Humber and North Yorkshire;- North East and North Cumbria;- Lancashire and South Cumbria;- Cheshire and Merseyside;- Surrey Heartlands;- Kent and Medway;- Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire; and- Gloucestershire.The demonstrator systems are currently identifying the elements of the vaccination strategy on which they would like to focus. These include delivering innovative outreach services to target underserved communities, and exploring the expansion of successful flexible seasonal workforce management systems across all immunisations delivered by the NHS. As each demonstrator system develops and finalises its plans, we will support the system in evaluating the impact of its activities, and share the learning across other systems.

Laboratories: Disease Control

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the findings in the report by the National Audit Office entitled Investigation into the UKHSA’s health security campus programme, published on 28 February 2024, on the adequacy of funding for (a) facilities at Porton Down and (b) other pandemic infrastructure.

Maria Caulfield: The Department remains committed to ensuring that the United Kingdom retains world class secure laboratories, which play a vital role in understanding new threats and developing and evaluating the diagnostic tools, vaccines, and wider clinical countermeasures to combat them.The Department continues to work closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to ensure that there are appropriate plans in place to respond to future pandemics. This includes critical national infrastructure maintained by UKHSA that provides the specialist capabilities required to respond to emerging and high consequence infectious diseases, such as high containment laboratories and specialist diagnostic equipment.

UK Health Security Agency: Finance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2024 to Question 13942 on UK Health Security Agency: Finance, if she will break down the (a) sources and (b) amounts of the Other customers section.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency is unable to provide the information requested because it is commercially sensitive.

Operating Theatres: Fires

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how (a) her Department and (b) NHS England define the severity of (i) a surgical fire, (ii) a surgical burn and (iii) a near miss related to a surgical fire or burn.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how her Department records instances of near misses for (a) surgical fires and (b) other patient safety incidences.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2024 to Question 12362 on Operating Theatres: Fires, how (a) her Department and (b) NHS England defines the most serious surgical fires and burns; what steps she is taking to ensure the mandatory reporting of such (i) fires and (ii) burns; and how many such (A) fires and (B) burns have been reported by NHS England in each of the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: Any unexpected or unintended incident which could have or did lead to harm to one or more patients can be recorded on the Learn from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) service, to support local and national learning. This can include surgical fires or burns. We are informed that NHS England does not define the severity of harm related to surgical fires or burns specifically. Grading the severity of harm related to a patient safety incident that is recorded on LFPSE, should be done using NHS England’s guidance on recording patient safety events and levels of harm, which asks that near miss events be graded as no harm. The guidance is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/policy-guidance-on-recording-patient-safety-events-and-levels-of-harm/ If a surgical fire or burn is assessed locally and constitutes a patient safety event, it would fall under the scope of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Regulations 16 or 18, and must be reported to the CQC. This means that the most serious surgical fires or burns which result in serious harm or the death of a service user, are subject to mandatory reporting. NHS trusts can comply with this requirement by recording patient safety events using the LFPSE service, and NHS England shares all such data with the CQC, who are responsible for regulating compliance with CQC regulations. CQC Regulations 16 and 18 are available respectively, at the following links: https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/regulations/regulation-16-notification-death-service-user https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/regulations-enforcement/regulation-18-notification-other-incidents Although the recording of wider patient safety events onto LFPSE is a voluntary process, providers are encouraged to record all patient safety incidents, irrespective of the level of harm, to support local and national learning. The LFPSE service and its predecessor, the National Reporting and Learning System, do not have specific categories for surgical fires or burns. Determining how many patient safety events related to surgical fires or burns were recorded by National Health Service providers in each of the last five years would require a search of the free text of recorded patient safety events, using key words, and a subsequent expert clinical review of all potential records to determine relevance to the question. This could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Hydrogen Sulphide: Children and Older People

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of hydrogen sulphide on the health and wellbeing of (a) under 18s and (b) over 65s.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency has not made an assessment of the potential impact of hydrogen sulphide on the health and wellbeing of under 18-year-olds and over 65-year-olds.

Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of babies who have developed foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in each of the last ten years.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to collect data on the number and proportion of women who consume alcohol while pregnant.

Maria Caulfield: Asking pregnant women about their alcohol consumption is a routine part of maternity appointment booking. This data is collected in NHS England’s Maternity Services Dataset and forms part of official statistics in the Department’s Child and Maternal Health Profiles. In 2018/19, 4.1% of women self-reported drinking while pregnant at their appointment booking. Work is ongoing to update the number and proportion of women who use alcohol while pregnant from 2019/20 onwards. We have no estimates of the number of babies who have developed foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in each of the last ten years.

Nurses: Pay

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure all general practice nursing staff will receive a pay uplift for 2023-24.

Andrea Leadsom: We hugely value and appreciate the vital work carried out by general practice (GP) nurses. The Government accepted the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body’s recommendation on salaried GP staff pay, and increased the 2023/24 GP contract to provide funding for them to receive a 6% pay rise. We encourage all practices to pass this on to staff. As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is for GPs to determine employee pay.

General Practitioners: Essex

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to increase the number of GPs in Essex.

Andrea Leadsom: We are working with NHS England to increase the general practice (GP) workforce in England as a whole, which includes Essex. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encourage them to return to practice.We have increased the number of GP training places and in 2022 saw the highest ever number of doctors accepting a place in GP training, a record 4,032 trainees, up from 2,671 in 2014. Under the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, the number of training places will rise to 6,000 by 2031/32, with the first 500 new places becoming available from September 2025.

Food: Labelling

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of calorie labelling on menus on (a) obesity levels, (b) people with eating disorders and (c) young people.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will commission a review into the effectiveness of the requirement under the Calorie Labelling (Out of Home Sector) (England) Regulations 2021 to display calorie information on menus.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department has commissioned independent research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the regulations, and these findings are expected in mid-2024. The NIHR is also funding research to explore the impact of the regulations on people with lived experience of eating disorders, with findings due in October 2025.

Obesity: Health Services

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of tier 3 weight management services for patients; and in which (a) Integrated Care Board areas and (b) NHS trusts those services are available.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish a breakdown of the number of people on waiting lists for tier 3 weight management services by (a) Integrated Care Board area and (b) NHS trust.

Andrea Leadsom: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning tier three specialist weight management services (SWMS). These services are generally aimed at those living with severe obesity and associated co-morbidities. They provide support through a tailored programme of care from multidisciplinary teams able to assess and work with patients to establish the most suitable care, considering psychological, behavioural, dietary drivers, as well as underlying disordered eating or compulsions. These tier three SWMS are primarily delivered in secondary care, with occasional specialist primary and community-based provision.In 2021, during the pandemic, NHS England oversaw a SWMS mapping exercise, via voluntary ICB and trust submission, to inform the COVID-19 recovery plan. Overall findings at the time suggested 37 out of 42 ICBs were commissioning provision of tier three SWMS, with approximately 35,000 patients in England accessing services. However, capacity constraints indicated an estimated 12,000 patients waiting to access services, with an average waiting time of six months nationally. ICBs who participated in the voluntary mapping exercise did not consent to the publication of identifiable information. NHS England does not routinely capture specific data on waiting times to access tier three SWMS.

Ministry of Justice

Appeals: Recovery of Costs

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to enable litigants who win First Tier Tribunal cases to recover costs.

Mike Freer: The tribunals of the unified tribunal system are designed to be an informal, accessible and low cost means of resolving disputes, in which legal representation is not needed. For this reason, costs are not generally recoverable between the parties in proceedings before the First-tier Tribunal.Procedure rules for some chambers of the First-tier Tribunal do provide for costs to be awarded in certain circumstances, for example where a party has conducted the litigation unreasonably.We have no plans to change the rules so that costs can be awarded routinely in proceedings in the First-tier Tribunal.

Legal Aid Scheme

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that legal aid remains accessible.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that legal aid remains accessible.

Mike Freer: Access to justice is a fundamental right, and in 2022/23 we spent £1.86 billion on legal aid: £926 million on civil, £873 million on crime, and £56 million through central funds (central funds provide funding for, amongst other things, Defence Costs Orders, which are made in respect of non legally-aided defendants who are acquitted, and independent cross examination of vulnerable witnesses in criminal and civil proceedings).The Ministry of Justice published the Government Response to the Means Test Review consultation exercise in May 2023, which sets out the detailed policy decisions underpinning the new means-test arrangements.Our changes will increase the number of people eligible for civil legal aid in England and Wales by an additional 2.5 million, with 3.5 million more people eligible for criminal legal aid at the magistrates’ court.We have also injected up to £10 million a year into housing legal aid through the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS). HLPAS provides early legal advice on housing, debt, and welfare benefits problems for anyone facing the loss of their home.In 2023, we broadened the evidence requirements for victims of domestic abuse applying for legal aid. Special Guardianship Orders in private law proceedings were also brought into the scope of legal aid. This represented an injection of £13 million a year.We will shortly be consulting on expanding the provision of legal aid at inquests related to major incidents where the Independent Public Advocate is appointed or in the aftermath of terrorist incidents. If implemented, this would mean that no family involved in such cases in future would face an inquest without proper legal representation.To support and strengthen the criminal legal aid sector, in responding to the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review, we uplifted most criminal legal aid fee schemes by 15% in 2022. We are also consulting on reforms to the police station fee scheme and the Youth Court fee scheme, for which we have allocated an extra £21 million per year. These changes increase spend by up to £141 million a year - taking expected criminal legal aid spend to £1.2 billion per year. The additional funding into the system will help contribute towards the sustainability of the market and help ensure legal aid is accessible for the future.

Prisoners: Apprentices

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in which prisons are prisoners eligible to undertake apprenticeships in England and Wales.

Edward Argar: Apprenticeships are one of our initiatives to drive up skills, qualifications and employment across the estate, filling key gaps in the economy, and ultimately reducing reoffending.In September 2022, the Government changed legislation to allow serving prisoners to undertake apprenticeships. Since then, my officials have been working closely with their counterparts in the Department for Education to engage employers in key skills sectors such as hospitality and construction to sponsor and support apprentice placements.In England, all appropriately risk-assessed prisoners in the open estate and certain women’s prisons can undertake apprenticeships in the community, as long as they are eligible for ROTL and within a year of release. Apprenticeships are now being tested in the closed Category C estate, offering the chance for high quality training leading to sustainable employment outcomes.As skills and education are devolved in Wales, the Welsh Government is responsible for provision of education and training in Welsh prisons.

Home Office

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support the expanded remit of the Gangmaster Licensing and Abuse Authority.

Laura Farris: The Government allocates a yearly budget to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) to enable it to undertake its regulatory and enforcement activities. The GLAA’s remit was expanded in 2016. Since then, the Government has increased the annual funding it provides the GLAA from £1.97m in 2015/16 to £7.77m in 2023/24.

National Crime Agency: Northern Ireland

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish a breakdown breakdown by religion of National Crime Agency (a) officers and (b) civilian staff based in Northern Ireland.

Tom Tugendhat: It is the policy of successive UK governments not to comment on matters of intelligence and national security; this includes information relating to the NCA's workforce in Northern Ireland.

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support the expanded remit of the Gangmaster Licensing and Abuse Authority.

Laura Farris: The Government allocates a yearly budget to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) to enable it to undertake its regulatory and enforcement activities. The GLAA’s remit was expanded in 2016. Since then, the Government has increased the annual funding it provides the GLAA from £1.97m in 2015/16 to £7.77m in 2023/24.

Ask for ANI Scheme

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department’s Ask for ANI scheme cost in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

Laura Farris: The Home Office allocated £243,662 in the financial year 2022/23 and £168,449 in the financial year 2023/24 to Hestia Housing for the delivery of the Ask for ANI scheme.

British Nationality

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason it is his policy that a person born between 2 October 2000 and 29 April 2006 is only considered to have British citizenship at birth if their British citizen father was married at the time of their birth to their EU citizen mother.

Tom Pursglove: Between 1 January 1983 and 30 June 2006, a child could only obtain British citizenship through their father if the parents were married. The law changed on 1 July 2006 to allow a person to acquire citizenship through their father, irrespective of whether the parents were married, subject to proof of paternity.The 2006 change only affects children born after 1 July 2006: the earlier law continues to apply in relation to people born before that date. The change was not made retrospective, to avoid altering a person’s status after their birth without allowing them to make an informed choice about acquiring British citizenship.A person born before 1 July 2006 can register as a British citizen if they would have become a British citizen automatically had their parents been married. Those applying under this route do not have to pay a registration fee.

Visas: Gaza

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Gaza have arrived in the UK following a successful application for a family visa as a (a) spouse, (b) partner, (c) fiancé, (d) child, (e) parent, (f) relative providing care of a British citizen, (g) settled resident and (h) person with protection status since 7 October 2023.

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in Gaza are awaiting results of applications for family visas as a (a) spouse, (b) partner, (c) fiancé, (d) child, (e) parent, (f) relative providing care of a British citizen, (g) settled resident and (h) person with protection status who applied (i) on or (ii) before 7 October 2023.

Tom Pursglove: The number of people in Gaza who are awaiting results of applications for family visas does not form part of any current transparency data or migration statistics and is not published.Transparency data is however published quarterly on Gov.uk and includes data on the outcomes of visas issued on family routes, although this does not necessarily equate to entering the UK once granted leave.The latest transparency data can be found at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Theft: Auctions

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen the checks auction houses must carry out to prevent the sale of stolen goods.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a database of stolen goods which (a) can be updated by law enforcement agencies and (b) auction houses can search before selling an item.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department takes to help protect legal owners against the sale of stolen goods (a) at auction houses and (b) online.

Chris Philp: The Government recognises the significant impact invasive crimes such as theft can have on individuals and the wider community. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010.The Home Office established the Stolen Goods Working Group in January 2021, collaborating with policing and academic leads to deliver a programme of work that will make it harder for criminals to profit financially from acquisitive crime.Through this group the Government are working closely with a group of expert policing and academic partners who are taking forward work across a number of themes. These include actions to identify where and how stolen goods are commonly sold; examining ways to ensure property is marked, identifiable and traceable; exploring ways to share best practice between forces; and examining what more can be done to tackle the disposal markets for stolen goods and reduce the profit from acquisitive crime.There are a number of police-led schemes to prevent the sale of stolen goods, including We Don’t Buy Crime and the Safe Seller scheme. Under these schemes, sellers of second-hand goods commit to undertake checks before buying and offering goods for sale.Owners are encouraged to mark and register property, this helps to prove ownership of an item and return it to the rightful owner if stolen property is recovered. There are a number of commercially run property marking databases where members of the public can register their items. Some of these specialise in certain types of items such as bicycles or antiques. Police Crime Prevention Initiatives have developed practical crime prevention advice to better understand how to better safeguard property. Information can be found here https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/fuel-theft.The Criminal Justice Bill, currently making its passage through Parliament, includes a new power for the police to enter premises to search for and seize specific stolen items. This power will allow swift seizure of stolen property and better gathering of evidence to support investigation and arrest, which police indicate is crucial for acquisitive crime offences.Online sale sites have policies in place to prevent the sale of illegal items and items that encourage illegal activity, along with guidance for the public on how to avoid purchasing stolen goods. The Online Safety Act 2023 will place a new responsibility on tech companies to prevent users encountering illegal content, which includes advertisements for stolen goods.There are currently no plans to introduce a database of stolen goods which can be updated by law enforcement or bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen the checks auction houses must carry out to prevent the sale of stolen goods.

Northern Ireland Office

Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many officials work in the secretariat for the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what proportion of officers of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery have experience of conducting criminal investigations (a) within and (b) outside of Northern Ireland.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Since the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) was legally established as an independent body in December 2023, it has discharged its corporate functions and operated necessary policies within its own budget and accountability. As it is fully independent of Government, the Commission is best placed to advise on its recruitment and staffing, and can be contacted at: info@icrir.independent.uk.

Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery will become operational.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Significant progress has been made since the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) was established in December last year. I met with ICRIR Chair, Sir Declan Morgan, earlier this week and expect the body to be operational from 1st May.

Northern Ireland Office: Publishing

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what reports and guidance their Department has produced in the last three years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Mr Steve Baker: The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the department. Reports and guidance that the Department has published can be found on gov.uk. The amount spent on printing and distribution for each year is published in the Annual Report and Accounts under the ‘Communications, office supplies and services’ line of the Expenditure note.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he has taken to work with devolved Administrations to tackle the issue of puppy farming in Northern Ireland.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government is fully committed to animal welfare. However, this is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland, and so it is for the newly restored Executive to determine how to protect animal welfare, including tackling poor breeding practices as seen in puppy farming.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Retail Trade: Business Rates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help new businesses access high street premises; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming business rates to help facilitate this access.

Jacob Young: Government has introduced High Street Rental Auctions through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. When the powers come into force, they will allow local authorities to require landlords to let their empty high street properties making town centre tenancies more accessible to businesses and community groups.At Autumn Statement 2023, the Government announced it would extend the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief scheme at 75 per cent, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business for 2024-25. Around 230,000 retail, hospitality and leisure properties, including many on the high street will be eligible for this relief, a tax cut worth nearly £2.4 billion. In addition, the small business multiplier was frozen for the fourth consecutive year for 2024/25, protecting over a million ratepayers from a multiplier increase.

Treasury

Bank of England: Government Securities

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what are the losses by the Bank of England on holding its bond portfolio that the Treasury has had to reimburse so far in the 2023-24 financial year.

Bim Afolami: Data on these quarterly cash transfers between HM Treasury and the Bank of England are made publicly available by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in their monthly Public Sector Finances publication. The data is available at the following link under the ONS series ID MF7A in worksheet PSA9B:https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/publicsectorfinance/datasets/publicsectorfinancesappendixatables110

Research: Tax Allowances

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications were made by companies in Northern Ireland for R&D tax credits in each of the last three years.

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for R&D tax credits by companies in Northern Ireland were refused in each of the last three years.

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for R&D tax credits by companies in Northern Ireland were refused on the grounds they were fraudulent in each of the last three years.

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what scrutiny is given to technical reports submitted with R&D tax credit applications by companies in Northern Ireland.

Nigel Huddleston: HMRC publish the estimated number of R&D claims and a breakdown of the number of claims by region. The latest figures, for 2021-2022, are published here: Research and Development Tax Credit Statistics September 2023.HMRC do not publish the proportion of R&D claims rejected or the reasons for rejecting them.All R&D claims go through a risk screening process before the payment process. Where risks are identified, HMRC open enquiries into those claims following the HMRC Enquiry manual, a detailed guidance framework on conducting compliance checks.

Taxation: Appeals

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HMRC spent on legal fees in tax litigation cases in each of the last five years.

Nigel Huddleston: Solicitors Office and Legal Services provide a range of legal and professional services to HMRC, including conduct of tax litigation.The operating expenditure for HMRC’s Solicitors Office and Legal Services is published in HMRC’s annual reports and accounts and can be found for the last five years atwww.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrcs-annual-report-and-accounts. For 2022/23 accounts, details can be found on page 246.

Defibrillators: VAT

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will remove VAT from defibrillators.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government maintains VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), including VAT relief on purchases made by local authorities and those made through voluntary contributions, where the AED is donated to eligible charities or the NHS. Otherwise, they attract the standard rate of VAT. The Government is currently inviting community organisations to bid for funding as part of a £1 million grant scheme that expands public access to AEDs, particularly in public places where they are most needed. In addition, last year the Government committed to supplying state-funded schools in England with defibrillators to make sure there is a device in every school, with deliveries completed in June 2023. This means that every state-funded school in England, over 21,500 schools, now has access to an AED.The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Artificial Intelligence

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to tackle the proliferation of malign AI generated content farms.

Saqib Bhatti: The Government takes the issue of information threats to national security very seriously, including threats posed by foreign states, and the use of AI and deepfakes. DSIT works closely across government and with social media platforms, civil society groups, academia, and international partners, to tackle these risks. DSIT’s National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) is focused on threats from foreign states, as well as risks emerging from the use of deepfakes to imitate elected leaders and interfere with elections and the use of bots to drive disinformation and fuel division. The Online Safety Act will also address a range of threats posed by AI. The Act will force companies to take action against illegal content online, including illegal AI-generated content, and will require companies to take steps to remove this illegal content if they become aware of it on their services. This includes the Foreign Interference Offence, which has been added as a priority offence in the Act, forcing companies to remove a wide range of state-sponsored disinformation and state-linked interference online.

Department for Transport

Roads: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the status ifs of proposals for the development of the Gallows Corner flyover Romford.

Guy Opperman: The Gallows Corner Major Road Network (MRN) scheme Outline Business Case (OBC) is currently being assessed by HM Government.

Department for Transport: DP World and P&O Ferries

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 18 July 2023 to Question 193953 on Department for Transport: DP World and P&O Ferries, whether (a) his Department has and (b) executive agencies of his Department have (i) made payments and (ii) awarded grants to (A) P&O Ferries and (B) DP World since 17 March 2022.

Guy Opperman: Since 17 March 2022, to allow for the Department and its agencies to carry out unannounced in-service inspections of P&O Ferries vessels, or to perform operational duties where the company is the only operator on the route, there has been a total of three bookings made with P&O Ferries, at a total cost of £453. This is in addition to the expenditure given in the Answer of 18 July 2023 to Question 193953. A review of spending did not identify any grants made to either DP World or P&O Ferries.

Ministry of Defence

Armenia: Collective Security Treaty Organization

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to the UK defence industry of Armenia's withdrawal from the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

James Heappey: On Thursday 22 February, Armenia froze their membership of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), stating that Russia had not fulfilled its security obligations towards Armenia. This does not yet represent a formal withdrawal from the organisation.The UK recognises this decision as Armenia's sovereign right and will work with Euro-Atlantic allies to support Armenia in the face of Russian threats of retaliation.The UK is a signatory of the OSCE arms embargo, and as such any benefits to UK defence industry must occur within the mandated restrictions. We will continue to work closely with Armenia to explore opportunities for closer cooperation.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) state and (b) independent schools had cadet units in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information is only available from 2012. The number of state and independent schools with Cadet units is as follows: Year 2012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024Indep 190190190190190191194198198200201200201State 687598123144187221275170264268270268 Figures include Sea Cadet Corp (SCC), Closed Army Cadet Force units and Linked Detachments established during and under the terms the Cadet Expansion Programme.Schools that were in a partnership (junior partners) are not included.There are 9 units that have been approved and are preparing to parade. Information about other SCC or Community Cadet Units (closed or otherwise) that are accommodated on the school premises, but are not of that school, is not held. The use of the school’s facilities would be arranged at local level, mainly through Reserved Forces and Cadets Association, and often as a monetary benefit to the school.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help increase the number of cadets enrolled in cadet forces sponsored by his Department; what targets his Department has set for increasing cadet numbers in cadet forces sponsored by his Department in each of the next three years; and how much funding his Department has made available to help expand cadet numbers in cadet forces sponsored by his Department in the same period.

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help increase the number of cadets enrolled in school-based cadet units; what targets his Department has set for increasing cadet numbers in school-based cadet units in each of the next three years; and how much funding his Department has made available to help expand cadet numbers in school-based cadet units in the same period.

Dr Andrew Murrison: It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member’s Questions. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Department for Education

Schools: Finance

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much additional capital funding has been spent in each of the local authorities with a Dedicated schools grant: very high deficit intervention to support delivery of the agreement where this forms part of the agreement.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how many additional SEND places have been opened in each of the local authorities that have a Dedicated schools grant: very high deficit intervention since the agreement was put in place.

Damian Hinds: The Safety Valve programme targets the local authorities with the highest Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits. The programme requires the local authorities involved to develop substantial plans for reform to their high needs systems, with support and challenge from the department, to rapidly place them on a sustainable footing. If the local authorities can demonstrate sufficiently that their DSG management plans create lasting sustainability and are effective for children and young people, including reaching an in-year balance as quickly as possible, then the department will enter into an agreement to hold the authority to account for delivery.Through the agreements, the authorities are subsequently held to account for their reform and savings targets via regular reporting to the department. The department will help the local authorities with additional revenue funding over time to contribute to their historic deficits, but this is contingent on delivery of the reforms in the agreements.Capital funding is a necessary feature of many local authorities’ DSG management plans, in cases where investment in local infrastructure will result in the availability of more appropriate provision and subsequent revenue savings. Local authorities with Safety Valve agreements are therefore invited to apply for additional high needs capital funding, to be provided as a one-off ‘top-up’ to their high needs provision capital allocations (HNPCA).Out of the 34 local authorities that currently have Safety Valve agreements, we have allocated additional capital funding to 22. The funding allocated to these local authorities is set out below:Local AuthorityAdditional capital funding allocated through the Safety Valve programmeBury£3,780,514Hammersmith and Fulham£1,220,814Kingston upon Thames£3,616,603Richmond upon Thames£3,851,165Stoke-on-Trent£7,530,904Hillingdon£6,962,000Kirklees£8,200,000Merton£8,270,367Rotherham£4,323,436Surrey£8,558,437York£3,000,000Bolton£9,903,319Cambridgeshire£11,290,000Haringey£7,000,000Medway£7,188,479Southwark£3,000,000Bath and North East Somerset£4,000,000Bexley£9,500,000Blackpool£6,153,346North Somerset£2,918,000North Tyneside£4,681,000Wokingham£6,332,300Total£131,280,684The 12 local authorities that did not receive additional capital either did not apply or did not successfully demonstrate to the department that capital support was necessary to support their DSG management plans.In order to receive additional capital funding, local authorities’ proposals must demonstrate how investment would align to the reform plans and savings targets in their Safety Valve agreements. Proposals also need to show how capital plans will meet identified gaps in provision and improve the local provision offer. Once funding is allocated, local authorities have appropriate flexibility to make sensible adjustments to their plans, reflecting that the statutory duty to provide sufficient school places remains with the local authority.6 local authorities are currently in Safety Valve negotiations with the department and have also been invited to apply for capital funding. The outcome of those negotiations and any additional capital funding being allocated will be communicated to local authorities shortly, and additional capital funding will be paid to local authorities as part of their 2024/25 HNPCA allocations later this year.